Dr. Alan Walton – University of Cambridge/Cavendish Laboratory
“From Babbling Brooks to Sonoluminescence; the Physics of Bubbbles in Liquids”
We are all familiar with the sounds produced by babbling brooks, dripping taps and boiling kettles. In fact, each of these sounds originates from gas (or vapour) bubbles present in the water. Just how this comes about will be demonstrated live or on video. But the process can also be run in reverse; an impressed sound field can drive bubbles into violent oscillations, leading to the emission of light and possibly to nuclear fusion (though this will not be demonstrated!).